There are so many moving pieces in the Formula 1 driver’s market that it’s hard to predict exactly how the grid will look in 2025.
Not only are half the current drivers in the paddock nearing the end of their contracts, but there are several rookies who have their eyes on an F1 seat next year.
In a report for The Race, journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm has explained that one driver will almost certainly be let go by his current team at the end of the year.
Ferrari and McLaren can rest easy knowing their driver pairings are set in stone for at least the next couple of seasons.
Red Bull and Mercedes have one seat left to confirm, while Aston Martin will eventually confirm Lance Stroll as Fernando Alonso’s teammate next year unless his father makes a dramatic decision.
However, further down the grid, there’s a lot more jeopardy and several drivers will be under no illusion that they’re in danger of being moved on.
The expectation is that Esteban Ocon will not be an Alpine driver during the 2025 Formula 1 season.
The 27-year-old – who has three F1 podiums to his name – has already been exploring his other options on the grid.
However, if his options elsewhere on the grid don’t work out, then he didn’t do his chances of staying with the French manufacturer any good with his actions during the Monaco Grand Prix.
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The expectation is Esteban Ocon leaves Alpine before the 2025 season
The first rule of motor racing is that you should never crash into your teammate.
Although both Haas drivers were taken out of the first lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, Kevin Magnussen didn’t make contact with Nico Hulkenberg directly.
However, Ocon spotted a gap going into Portier despite Pierre Gasly being ahead at the right-hander.
If he had executed the move perfectly and Gasly had really backed off then they would have both survived the overtake.
However, he made contact with one of Gasly’s back wheels and was sent flying into the air, damaging his car too much to take the restart after the red flag.
It was a huge misjudgement from Ocon and it’s no wonder that the expectation is that he won’t be driving for Alpine in 2025.
He’s never seen eye to eye with Gasly and in a season where scoring points has been incredibly difficult for the French manufacturer, his moment of madness was nearly unforgivable.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Esteban Ocon’s Alpine future explained after the Monaco Grand Prix crash
Talking about Ocon’s future, Mitchell-Malm said: “Alpine’s driver line-up is so combustible that it has been a delicate situation to manage over the last year and a half.
“But it is surely not going to be a problem the team has to worry about for much longer.
“As F1’s silly season has developed, Ocon has been repeatedly linked with a move away. Gasly has not. All expectations are that this will be a ‘Gasly plus one’ combination in 2025.
“It is no surprise this has been unsustainable as feared. They first collided in Australia last year, have threatened to find each other more than once since then, and clashed in Monaco in a way that deeply upset the team.
“A draconian response would be to bench Ocon and give reserve driver Jack Doohan – a candidate for a 2025 race seat – a real-world audition. Maybe there will be more subtle, internal reprisals deemed more appropriate.”
Esteban Ocon exploring other options for the 2025 Formula 1 season
Even though the expectation is that Ocon won’t be driving for Alpine in 2025, he’s got a very good chance of still being on the grid.
Martin Brundle can’t see a top Formula 1 team ever hiring him and even though he’s still managed by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, he wants to place him at another backmarker next year.
Ocon has also been linked with joining Haas next year with Nico Hulkenberg definitely moving on and Kevin Magnussen’s future in doubt.
The Frenchman is waiting to find out what ‘consequences’ team principal Bruno Famin has in mind after his collision with Gasly in Monaco.
He knows he’ll have a five-place grid penalty to serve if he’s even taking part in the race weekend in Canada.
The post ‘No surprise’: Journalist says ‘all expectations’ are that three-podium F1 driver will be moved on for 2025 appeared first on F1 Oversteer.